Around 50 people came to the Huxhams Cross Farm walk on 10th October to launch the new farm. Farmer Marina O’Connell explained the new farm design in detail. People who have seen the bare land in the Spring were delighted at the success of Marina’s carefully chosen green manures, which are starting to restore fertility to the soil. Some told stories of how they had played in the central meadow, making hides, though the farmer kept chasing them off! So Tania will start a Forest School at the farm, and there will be a special children’s nature trail around some of the fields.

Marina explaining farm design

Green manures

Marina codesigning Huxhams Cross Farm

Share Offer Launch for Farm Barn Raising

Farmer Marina O’Connell outlined the new farm design to around 100 people who crowded out the farm launch at Dartington Village Hall. The farm is a new co-operatively owned project, belonging to the community, managed and run by the Apricot team.

Martin Large invited people warmly to invest in the farm barn raising. This is a tradition from New England when new farming couples were helped by the whole pioneer community to build their barns and house. Similarly, the Biodynamic Land Trust invites people to invest in this Apricot Centre run community farm, for a barn, children’s play space such as a Forest School, permissive access paths, training room and kitchen, as well as services. This is ‘bare, orphan land’ with no farm buildings or infrastructure, and soil degraded by years of agri-chemicals and artificial fertilizers. The more people invest in the farm, the quicker this new family farm can get going and serve the community.

‘This farm gives people the opportunity to invest in their own community for food security, real family farming and a living, working countryside. This farm will become a beautiful green oasis at the heart of this community, but it needs your investment to make it happen! 600 people investing or giving £250 each would bring in the £150,000 needed’, said Martin Large, ‘What a wonderful Christmas present this would make! This would be a huge vote of confidence in farmers Marina and Mark O’Connell, and Bob Mayhew.’

Matt Harvey welcomed everyone with his Veg Rap, which had us in stitches, and Rhodri Samuel, CEO of Dartington Hall Trust, with Karen Williams, said, ‘The Apricot Centre at Huxhams Cross Farm is great news for Dartington… it will provide an exceptional educational resource for the community.’